The Baltimore Ravens' Week 11 win against the Cleveland Browns was not only a takedown of one of their biggest rivals, but it was also a coming-out party for the much-maligned defense, as they spoiled the hyped debut of quarterback Shedeur Sanders.
Sanders, who relieved Dillon Gabriel after he suffered a concussion, struggled mightily. He was sacked twice, completed just four of his 16 passes, and was intercepted by Nate Wiggins, all while failing to preserve a Browns lead.
That didn't stop many on social media from twisting themselves in cartoonish knots trying to excuse this showing. While some national voices like Josina Anderson hyped Sanders for completing a pass to Harold Fannin Jr. when the rookie tight end was almost the only player on the screen, others claimed that head coach Kevin Stefanski took joy in watching Sanders struggle. Others seemingly implied that the coaching staff purposefully put Sanders in an impossible situation.
Maybe the Ravens defense just beat the stuffing out of an overwhelmed rookie quarterback because they were the better team today? The Sanders defense brigade may have noble intentions, but they might dislocate their collective shoulders reaching like this.
Shedeur Sanders fans sound ridiculous after Ravens ruin Browns rookie's debut
Here's what is true. Sanders doesn't have a ton of reps with the starting offense, his offensive line is terrible, and this coaching staff might be poor enough to where they get fired at the end of this year. No one is saying his career is over, but everyone should be saying that he played very poorly.
Sanders, who reportedly wasn't too keen on the idea of coming to Baltimore as a backup to Lamar Jackson, completed just two of his eight passes thrown under five yards down the field. After hitting on his first two passes, Sanders completed just two of his next 14 throws, one of which was the aforementioned wide-open pass to Fannin. Sanders' issues with holding the ball too long in college popped up against Baltimore.
Kyle Hamilton was flying around in the second half, the pass rush was getting home, and Wiggins made a play when he needed to. Turns out it's hard to score on a defense with this much talent as a rookie quarterback, no matter what the situation is. How about giving the Ravens the credit they deserve?
This wasn't because Stefanski wants him to play poorly on purpose, nor because it's impossible for a backup to enter the game and perform. Sanders just stunk. You know, the thing every rookie quarterback does at some point early in their career. There's no need to debase yourself on social media trying to excuse this performance.